Targeted Offer: 50,000 Miles from the US Airways World Mastercard

For quite some time now, the sign-up bonus for the US Airways World Mastercard from Barclays has fluctuated from 35,000-45,000 miles after first spend. For those who want a slightly higher bonus and don’t mind meeting a little spend to get it, there is currently a version of the card with a 50,000 mile sign-up bonus after $1,000 spent within 3 months of account opening (thanks to reader Brenton for passing it along!). The $89 annual fee is not waived on the 50k offer, which is also the case with the publicly available offer (40,000 miles after first spend).

To apply for the 50,000 mile version of the US Airways World Mastercard, you’ll need to enter a Personal ID code. If you have not received a Personal ID Code via mail or email, you can try calling Barclay and asking them for one. Simply explain that you want to apply for the US Airways World Mastercard and would like them to extend the higher 50,000 mile offer to you. Mention that there is a link to a higher offer, but it requires a Personal ID Code. They may provide you with a code or they may turn you down. In the case of the latter, simply hang up and call again until you get a positive response (or you’re tired of hearing “No”).

If you do end up getting a code for the 50,000 mile offer, be sure to hold onto the offer code and take a screenshot just in case Barclays ends up awarding you the publicly available 40,000 mile bonus instead. In these situations, a screenshot along with a promo code can be provided as evidence that you did in fact apply for the better offer.

As for the $1,000 spending requirements, simply load up your Amex Serve card and you’ve scored 10,000 extra miles at no extra cost. If you go the Bluebird route, it takes two $500 Simon Mall gift cards and $5.90 in fees to get the job done. And only one trip to Walmart – not bad!

The US Airways World Mastercard has been a fairly easy card to churn in the past and the fact that it had no spending requirements was a nice plus. The $89 fee was annoying, but considering how easy Barclays has made it to earn the bonus, it’s hardly something to complain about. Now, at least, there’s the opportunity to earn an additional bonus for the same $89 annual fee. The extra $1,000 spending requirement is really a non-issue.

Are you going to apply for the 50,000 mile US Airways World Mastercard?

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15 Comments

Did a double take on seeing your headline. Then wondered if this was a recycled old story. Yet see it’s for real — and the timing of the offer seems all the more curious, with USAirways about to be folded into AA. Any clues/understanding of just what happens to this card thereafter? What happens to the perks for the card? (good only on a shrinking # of USAirways flights?)

When the merger completes, this card will be converted into an American Airlines card. Barclays won’t be able to issue any “Barclay AAdvantage” branded cards, but current cardholders will have their cards converted. I imagine since Barclays won’t be able to market the AA card, they are trying to lure in new customers with higher bonuses for the US Airway card.

I applied online for the 40,000 mile card 9 October and was quickly approved, but I had yet to receive the card when on 15 October I received a targeted mail offer of 50,000 miles with no minimum spend requirement, so that’s out there, too. It took six secure messages and 78 minutes on the phone spread over several calls to actually get that offer extended to me. Along the way I somehow got sent to the retention department, where they threw in another 5,000 miles for $1,000 spend in 90 days. New record for me, by the way: 24.99 percent balance interest with T/U score listed at 745 in the Barclay package that arrived with the card. You are left to wonder what kind of score gets you 14.99 percent.

I run balances only on interest-free transfers. I have no objection to moving cash acquired from minimum spend requirements on one new account to a second new account featuring a 16-month interest-free balance transfer offer. This creates a comfortable bank balance, which is always nice, while covering two minimum-spend requirements with the same invented purchases. I actually like running a balance under those conditions, and I do it whenever prevailing conditions permit. Otherwise I just say no. My point is almost nobody in North America graced with the money management skills for a 745 TU rating without a mortgage will ever permit themselves to pay a penny of interest to a bank charging 24.99 percent interest. If the MBAs at the bank think this will turn a profit, their drinking water needs DEA inspection.